'The Resurrection of the Christ' to begin filming

(OSV News) -- Despite the considerable amount of controversy that surrounded it, including allegations of anti-Semitism, Mel Gibson's 2004 biblical drama "The Passion of the Christ" was sufficiently popular that it took in more than $612 million at the box office. In fact, it remained the highest grossing R-rated film domestically for over 20 years.

More than two decades later, a sequel, "The Resurrection of the Christ," is slated to start filming in August at Rome's Cinecitta Studios. The film's release is expected in 2026.

Catholic actor Jim Caviezel, whose portrayal of Jesus in the first movie made him not only a star but something of an enduring cultural icon, will reprise the role of the Savior. In a January interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, Gibson said he would rely on digital technology for the "de-aging" of Cavaziel, who will turn 57 in late September.

Maia Morgenstern is expected to return as the Virgin Mary. And Francesco De Vito will once again be seen as St. Peter.

Details of the script, on which Gibson has collaborated with his brother, Donal, and screenwriter Randall Wallace, who penned Gibson's 1995 hit "Braveheart," have not been disclosed. But Gibson told Rogan that the follow-up would have a much broader historical sweep than the original, from "the fall of the angels to the death of the last apostle."

Such a comprehensive outlook may help to address one of the primary criticisms to which "The Passion of the Christ" was subjected, namely an excessively narrow focus. The movie dealt almost exclusively with the last 12 hours of Jesus' earthly life, from the Garden of Gethsemane to his burial.

As a result, noted Gerri Pare and David DiCerto in their joint review for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' former Office for Film and Broadcasting, "Gibson has, perhaps, muted Christ's teachings, making it difficult for viewers unfamiliar with the New Testament and the era's historical milieu to contextualize the circumstances leading up to Jesus' arrest."

"And," they continued, "though, for Christians, the Passion is the central event in the history of salvation, the 'how' of Christ's death is lingered on at the expense of the 'why?'"

Richard A. Blake, writing in the national Jesuit magazine America, was blunter in his assessment. Instead of "a tragic hero," with whom he could sympathize, Blake characterized Cavaziel's Jesus -- presumably with reference to the dramatization's extended and brutally realistic scourging sequence -- as "a pathetic punching bag."

The post-Resurrection accounts included in the New Testament were only hinted at by a memorable shot of the risen Jesus' riven palm in the earlier chapter. By expanding on that moment, Gibson may help to guide viewers of both films toward a fuller understanding of Christ's incarnate life, sacrificial death and universally transformative return from the tomb.